The generic title of this disc is somewhat misleading and thus
calls for some explanation. From the above details Meulemans
clearly has the lion's share with his two Concertos for Orchestra.
Jef Maes' sparkling and brilliantly scored Concertante
ouverture is – as its title makes it clear – a real
overture though one with scoring for instrumental groups that
take on the role of soloists. This delightful work was composed
for De Philharmonie - the Royal Flemish Philharmonic; - now
known as deFilharmonie - as an eightieth birthday tribute to
Marcel Baelde, the president of the Royal Harmony Society. It
is an occasional work, albeit one that achieved some considerable
and highly deserved success due to its catchy themes and colourful
scoring. It has become one of Jef Maes' most popular pieces
although there are many other important works of his still waiting
for brand new recordings.
Arthur Meulemans’ two Concertos for Orchestra feature prominently
in this release. I have already had the opportunity to write
about Meulemans and his music here;
suffice it to say that he has an enormous output to his credit
in every musical genre. Orchestral music, however, has pride
of place with fifteen symphonies and numerous miscellaneous
orchestral works. The First Concerto for Orchestra is a very
fine example of Meulemans' music-making be it in terms of melodic
and harmonic writing or of scoring. Meulemans found his own
voice quite early in his career and remained faithful to it
till the end. The First Concerto for Orchestra is no exception
with its mix of motoric rhythms and colourful scoring. The music
is full of vitality though it manages to pause for the slow
and quite beautiful third movement. The work is rounded off
by an energetic Finale. Though composed some three years after
its predecessor the Second Concerto for Orchestra is somewhat
different. The thematic material is hardly that for it consists
mostly of fragmentary ideas. The melodic content is less conspicuous
than in the First Concerto. However this relatively new approach
seems to point to some further development in Meulemans' music
making that did not really materialise during the last years
of his composing career.
Norbert Rosseau was a quite prolific composer although his music
is now rather neglected. He too composed in almost every genre.
He even composed electronic music. Vocal music represents an
important part of his sizeable output. At one time he achieved
some success with his delightful work for children's choir and
orchestra Zeepbellen Op.69 (1959). This was
recorded many years ago during the LP era and cries out to be
recorded again. His concert music, however, is generally fairly
traditional characterised by clear-cut themes and very effective
scoring. He, too, composed two Concertos for Orchestra (Op.37
– 1947 and Op.86 – 1963). Curiously enough only the Scherzo
from the First Concerto for Orchestra has been recorded here
for no obvious reason. However, that movement certainly whets
one's appetite for the complete work.
This disc is one of the first three released by deFilharmonie
on their own label. Brabbins conducts obviously well prepared
performances that cannot be faulted and the recording does full
justice to these colourful scores. I hope that this label will
be able to continue what I regard as a brave pioneering effort
that needs to be encouraged. I would nevertheless voice a mildly
negative comment about the shamefully short playing time of
this release which would have clearly allowed for the inclusion
of another complete work rather than that of just a movement
from Rosseau's First Concerto. Another remark would be that
movements should be indexed and playing times printed either
in the booklet or on the back cover. In short, this is a most
desirable release that should appeal to any follower of Meulemans
and to lovers of well-crafted and attractive music of the last
century.Hubert Culot

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